From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Thu, 30 May 1996 05:31:35 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Internet traffic is monitored.
Message-ID: <199605291605.JAA21685@mail.pacifier.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 11:37 AM 5/29/96 +0200, Anonymous wrote:
>Date: Tue, 28 May 1996 10:03:11 -0700
>X-Sender: bstout@osc.hidata.com
>To: Firewalls@GreatCircle.COM, Return requested <firewalls@GreatCircle.COM>
>From: Bill Stout <bill.stout@hidata.com>
>Subject: Re: Encryption Technology
>Sender: firewalls-owner@GreatCircle.COM
>

>Extrapolations of fact:
>   1.   Internet traffic is monitored.
>   2.   The ability to snoop for encrypted traffic is present
>   3.   The ability to identify encryption levels is present
>        (How else can they differentiate DES-1 from DES-3?)
>   4.   The ability to crack DES-1 in near real-time mode is present.
>        (See above).
>   5.   If above=true, then Feds dropping the Zimmerman PGP case probably
>        also points to it also being crackable in a similar manner.
>Bill


I think the Feds non-prosecution of Zimmermann had absolutely nothing to do 
with the crackability/non-crackability of PGP.  They just had an extremely 
weak case:  They probably had no way to demonstrate that any particular 
person exported PGP, which means that prosecuting Zimmermann would have 
looked like sour grapes.  (or, in the alternative, if they had records to 
show that PGP was exported, they might not have wanted to reveal the extent 
of their Internet monitoring.)

Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com